Cabbage and noodle pancakes (Hiroshima okonomiyaki)
The city of Hiroshima is known for its cabbage and noodle pancakes; they come with various toppings, but there’s always a generous garnish of mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 350g/12oz white cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 4 x 100g packs spicy instant noodles
- 4 free-range eggs
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- vegetable oil, for frying
- salt
For the okonomiyaki sauce
- 90g/3¼oz tomato ketchup
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú Worcestershire sauce
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú oyster sauce
- 25g/1oz caster sugar
To garnish
- Japanese mayonnaise, to drizzle
- 4 tbsp katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
- 2 nori sheets, cut into thin strips
- pink pickled ginger
- gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
Method
Place a large frying pan over a high heat and add the sesame oil, then add the cabbage, sprinkle with a little salt and stir-fry for 4 minutes until blistered and softened. Add the soy sauce and stir through. Set aside to cool.
Cook the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain well. Mix the noodles with their seasoning packets and set aside to cool.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and stir in the flour. Add the spring onions to the egg and flour mix, followed by the cooked cabbage, garlic granules and the noodles. Mix well.
Add a little oil to a large frying pan over a medium–high heat. Spoon the noodle mixture into the hot pan to make small pancakes, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until browned, crisped and cooked through. Repeat until you have 12 pancakes.
To make the okonomiyaki sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a small saucepan and place over a medium–low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool, then transfer to a small squeezy bottle.
To serve, stack three pancakes per portion and top with a drizzle of mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, katsuobushi flakes, shredded nori, pickled ginger, gochugaru chilli flakes and sliced spring onion.
